‘Music isn’t just a hobby, it’s a natural part of me – it’s like breathing’

Singer-songwriter Verity Green discusses the south Wales music community and the struggles of social media, following her new single

Swansea-based musician Verity Green wants to spend her life “making music and playing to people.”

Having received her first guitar aged 13, a hand-me-down from her mum’s hairdresser, the 23-year-old taught herself to play through online tutorials and trial and error. 

She credits her love of music to her childhood and her family’s influence, growing up in a music-loving household thanks to her parents. Making music came naturally to Green, who has been writing poetry ever since she could write. 

“Music isn’t just a hobby,” she clarifies. “It’s a natural part of me – it’s like breathing.”

Her first album Thorns Won’t Let Me Bleed If I Don’t Let Roses Grow was released in 2021, produced entirely by Green herself, from her bedroom. The album is described by Green as indie and anti-folk, consisting of guitar and vocal harmonies.

This winter, Green has more music to share, following the release of a two-track single on 18 November. A full album is due to be released early next year.           

The single, Fill Our Home, features a song called I’d Fill Our Home and another titled It’s Thursday, It’s Freezing.

“It’s about a new chapter,” Green explains. “About moving forward with life and being excited about the future even though you’re still sad about the past.”

Green discusses the creative processes behind her new single

Waves of inspiration

Moving from a small village in the Cotswolds to Swansea in 2020 has had a massive impact on her music, according to Green. The move allowed her to develop a love for surfing in the Gower, as well as evolve as a musician.

“The musical community here is just so strong and lovely, and everyone is really supportive of each other,” she says. “It just feels really wholesome. I’ve never been in a community of musicians like it before.”

Being in south Wales, surrounded by like-minded musicians and playing gigs in front of larger crowds undoubtedly helped Green develop musically, she said. “It forces you to take yourself a bit more seriously,” she adds. “I don’t think I’d be where I am now musically if I hadn’t moved here.”

Promotion over creation

The ever-changing musical landscape and the rise of social media poses a threat to upcoming indie musicians, said Green, who works in hospitality alongside her musical endeavors.

She labels the need to constantly promote herself on social media “a real struggle”, voicing how much she admires other musicians who are able to successfully publicise themselves.

“You’ve really got to do all the work in promoting yourself, which is unfair,” says the singer-songwriter. “I don’t have any idea on how to promote myself, and I think that’s a real struggle.”

Green, who grew up listening to the likes of Bob Dylan and David Bowie, reminisces on an era of music before social media. “As an artist, you should be pouring all your energy into your art, rather than marketing yourself,” she says.

The constant pressure to self-promote is the only thing that deters Green from pursuing her musical dreams, she said. “In my soul, in my heart, I just want to spend my life making music and playing to people,” she adds.

In my soul, in my heart, I just want to spend my life making music and playing to people

Although she spoke of her love of releasing music and playing gigs, this is not what drives the musician.

“I write music for myself,” Green says, describing the songwriting process as her way of making sense of the world and her experiences.

“My reason for wanting to share it with people is because it feels like I’m setting those experiences free,” she clarifies. “That part of my life is externalised into a song, and it’s put out into the universe so I can move on from it.”